Testing and assessment

What do tests do? (2/2)

Performance testing, which includes direct, systematic observation of an actual student performance or examples of student performances and rating of that performance according to pre-established performance criteria. Students are assessed on the result as well as the process engaged in a complex task or creation of a product. / A performance test measures performance on tasks requiring the application of learning in an actual or simulated setting. Either the test stimulus, the desired response, or both are intended to lend a high degree of realism to the test situation.

Do all language tests aim at measuring communicative competence? (1/2)

• No. They may test aspects of language knowledge and skills which are considered to be indicators of communicative competence.
• So, are all types of tests ‘communicative’?
• Tests identified as ‘communicative’ are those which are interaction-based, open-ended (that is, responses cannot be predicted as in natural communicative environments), authentic, behavior-based and so on.

Do all language tests aim at measuring communicative competence? (2/2)

• Communicative tests are supposed to measure communicative competence which includes:
• linguistic competence,
• sociolinguistic competence,
• strategic competence.

Do tests test one or many things at a time?

There are two different types of tests:

• Integrative tests, which include activities that assess skills and knowledge in an integrated manner (e.g., reading and writing, listening and speaking). Less attention is paid to specific lexicogrammatical points.
• Discrete point tests, which contain items that ideally reveal the candidate's ability to handle one level of language and one element of receptive or productive skills.

For whom are tests important? (1/2)

For almost all the people involved in the education process:

• the learner who wants to know how well s/he is doing, and also wants the 'piece of paper for professional and education purposes,
• the teacher wants to know how the learner is progressing and whether and how well s/he herself is succeeding in his job,